When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

]]>This Utah Jazz’ recent, red-hot run has shined national attention on the Jazz defense, largely responsible for the team’s 10-2 record since Feb. 20.

Partly due to increased minutes for one freakishly athletic Frenchman, Rudy Gobert, and partly due to a steadily improving team defense, the Jazz have enjoyed a season-long shift from one of the NBA’s worst defenses to one of its best.

Month

Def Eff

Rank

October

121.6

30

November

107.2

26

December

107.1

25

January

102.1

14

February

97.0

2

March

93.6

3

This clear and compelling trend is at the heart of the Jazz’ late-season success. The Utah Jazz in February and March have been a defensive wonder, suddenly battling the likes of Indiana, Golden State and Memphis to be the league’s best.

But, of course, there’s a whole other part of the game: Offense! In this post, I’ll look at whether the Jazz scoring in 2014-15 has kept pace with its defense. And I’ll dive into some specific numbers to get a feel for which areas the team can improve in as it builds towards 2015-16 — and the playoff run we all hope is coming.

Let’s look at the raw numbers for this year’s Jazz offense:

Month

Off Eff

Rank

October

107.5

10

November

103

17

December

104.3

13

January

101

17

February

101.3

16

March

102.7

14

Those numbers tell a different story: not one of improvement, but one of consistency. Leave out October (only a two-game sample size) and the team has been, well, average. A less kind term would be mediocre, but either way, offense is clearly the area where the Jazz need to improve heading into next year.

So let’s get more specific. How can they improve? Where are they already doing well? How do they rank poorly?

First, the good news:

The Jazz are an excellent offensive rebounding team. This is no surprise. All four of the Jazz big men who have played significant minutes this year (Favors, Kanter, Gobert and Booker) are superior rebounders. Each grabs more than 10 percent of all available offensive rebounds. That adds up to the Jazz having the single highest offensive rebounding percentage in the league, grabbing 29 percent of all available rebounds on the offensive glass. And the team does a pretty good job of taking advantage of those chances, scoring the third-most “second chance” points of any team.

AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

In related news, the Jazz are a pretty productive team in the paint overall. They score a high percentage of their points in the paint — fifth highest in the league. They shoot a high percentage from within five feet of the basket — sixth best in the league. No surprise.

One final bit of good news: As I suspect everyone reading Salt City Hoops knows, the mid-range jumper is the least efficient shot in basketball. And the Jazz take the seventh fewest in the NBA.

Now, the OK news:

It’s no surprise that an average offensive team is average at lots of things. Let’s give a quick rundown of a few such indicators. The team ranks 17th in both three pointers attempted and three point percentage. They rank 15th in free throw attempts, but since they play such a slow pace (slowest in the league), their free throw attempt rate (per possession) is actually a pretty decent 10th best.

The Jazz are 17th in fast break points. That stat actually surprised me that it wasn’t worse, since it’s amazing how awkward the team often looks when executing a 2 on 1.

Now, the not-so-good news:

The Jazz shoot just 73 percent from the free throw line, which puts them 25th in the NBA. And their third best FT shooter, Enes Kanter, has left town. The Jazz remaining three big men — Booker (59.6 percent), Gobert (62.9 percent) and Favors (66.5 percent) — all need to get better from the line. One odd note: Trey Burke shot 90 percent last year from the free throw line (which some fool in the preseason made a big deal of) but is down to just 76.5 percent this year.

Relatively few of the Jazz buckets (56.6 percent) are assisted. That leaves them 23rd in assist percentage and 25th in assist ratio (the per possession stat.) The Jazz seem to do a fairly good job sharing the ball — they rank near the top of passes per game — but apparently few of these passes result in a layup or a high-percentage shot. Drilling down, some of this is due to Enes Kanter, one of the least willing (and effective) passers in the NBA, with an assist ratio of 3.5. But Derrick Favors too has some work to do on the passing end, with an assist ratio of just 9.1, leaving him 55th of 72 power forwards. Lastly, it’s worth noting that Trey Burke is also not a huge producer of assists, with an assist ratio that leaves him 56th of 73 point guards.

The Jazz shoot well from close to the rim (see above) and average from 3, but poorly from everywhere else. They’re 29th in FG% between 5-10 feet, 23rd between 10-15 feet and 24th between 15-19 feet. The good news, as noted above, is that they take relatively few of those “mid-range” jumpers (the 10 to 19 foot ones) but they take a typical number of the 5-10 footers and hit relatively few. The average NBA team hits 39 percent of those shots — floaters, short jumpers — but the Jazz hit just 33 percent. The main culprits are the team’s guards — Burke, Burks, Exum and Millsap, all of whom struggle from there.

Hmmm. Almost too much information there, but one thing jumps out: Every single above-average Jazz offensive lineup includes Gordon Hayward and eight of the nine feature Derrick Favors. Those two are clearly the team’s rocks on offense. And the great news? They’re signed to long-term deals and are young and improving.

I was pleasantly surprised that four of the nine feature Rudy Gobert. Gobert is of course a work in progress on the offensive end — a fierce dunker, a surprisingly good passer and a terror on the offensive glass — and not much else.

One final point: The clearest area for improvement for the Jazz for 2015-16 clearly comes from the team’s guards. Each offers something to the team, but it’s worth noting that as of right now, every single guard the Jazz are playing regularly — Dante Exum, Trey Burke, Joe Ingles, Elijah Millsap and Rodney Hood — is shooting under 40 percent from the field.

Those numbers improving as those players mature, plus the return of a healthy Alec Burks, plus — hopefully — the addition of at least one proven wing scorer will be the single biggest key towards an improved Utah Jazz offense in 2015-16.

Author information

Matt Pacenza

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

]]>The email arrived early last May. The Utah Jazz were offering several hundred season tickets for the 2014-15 season at a special price. The price? The cost per game would equal the draft slot the Jazz received during the upcoming Draft Lottery.

It took my brain a second to understand that. If the Jazz got lucky and landed the #1 pick, I could watch a full season of the Jazz’ promising young core PLUS Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker for $44? Even if they landed in their predicted #4 slot, I could buy two season tickets to NBA basketball for less than $400?

I took a breath, prepped my pitch to my wife (I wouldn’t go to all the games. It would be nice to share them with friends. It would be a way to have one-on-one time with each of our two boys) and she magically agreed!

A couple of weeks later, when the Jazz landed the #5 spot, I was the proud owner of two season tickets to three pre-season and 41 regular season games for the grand total of $440. Not quite the insane bargain the top pick would have been, but still remarkable.

A little more than halfway into the season, I’m pleased with the experience of being a season ticket holder. I’ve been to roughly half the team’s 24 home games, and have given away about half of the others to grateful friends.

I’ve seen several incredibly fun games, including the wire-to-wire romp over the Golden State Warriors 10 days ago. A big comeback over the Thunder a few weeks into the season. A super entertaining game against the T-Wolves just after Christmas.

And, of course, THIS, which was so remarkable my 10-year-old even cried a bit. (OK, that was me maybe.)

A very positive experience, all in all. The boys and I have had fun. However, as a guy who is lousy with opinions, a few ideas have been kicking around my head as to how I think the Jazz can improve the fan experience. They range from the trivial, to the more significant, to the utterly trivial.

The Jazz’ Emo Video

The team’s introduction of its starters is fun, overall. The kids go nuts when the bear rides out, when the flames shoots up in the air, when the smoke billows. But then this starts:

Isn’t basketball supposed to be fun? Or is it moody, depressing and a chore? I’m sure that whoever directed the video told the players and the coach they should look intense. Serious. Deadpan. Angry, even. Why? It makes me feel like I’m at the world’s most depressing all-ages concert with a bunch of moody teenagers dressed in black drinking a Robitussin on ice.

Basketball should be about exuberance. Excitement! Jumping up and down. Big smiles. Finger waves!

Drop the moody, angst-ridden intro video, please.

GREAT Scoreboards, but…

The scoreboads are MUCH bigger in person!

If you haven’t been to a Jazz game this season or last, you’ll be blown away by their new scoreboard setup. Not only do the giant screens hanging over the floor offer amazing closeups of the action on the floor, especially useful during replays, but there are also huge, new scoreboards in each of the four corners of the arena, offering a running boxscore of the game. It’s great to see who’s on the floor (especially for the road team, when you may not know who the heck Jerami Grant is) and to watch their points, rebounds and assists grow in real time.

However, as a amateur analyst of the Jazz — again, lousy with opinions — I would LOVE to see minutes played. As a guy who wants to see more of certain guys (The Stifle Tower!) and less of others (sorry, Jose English) I find myself looking over there several times a game wondering who Coach Snyder has been playing more and less that night, to no avail. The boards do have limited real estate, so my recommendation would be to lose the steals column, a stat I’m much less interested in.

Drop the Cheap Aussie Effects

Look, going to a game is cheesy fun. That Kiss Cam/t-shirt cannon nonsense is goofy and silly — and it works. Heck, I’m even onboard with the Funhouse Cam.

But the “oi, oi, oi” sound effect played after Dante Exum or Joe Ingles score a basket? Nope.

What’s next? A Crocodile Dundee clip? A “shrimp on the barbie” reference?

We’re better than this, Utah.

More Local Food, Please!

The food and drink you can buy at the arena has improved the past few years. When I first attended a game after we moved here in 2006, there wasn’t much beyond limp burgers and hot dogs and tasteless mass market beers.

Eight years later, local micro-brews are easy to find and there’s now even several small bars with a wide range of offerings, including a Wasatch Squatters Pub. And, food-wise, there’s an Iceberg shake stall, a terrific addition, plus a few other spots offering better-than-cafeteria-style sandwiches and more.

Nonetheless, the arena’s food offerings remain pretty poor overall. To me, the Iceberg/Squatters additions are the ones to emulate. More extensions of popular local eateries. What about a Caputo’s? A Soup Kitchen? A Bruges Waffles and Frites?

Or, to take it a step further, which eateries are best at offering delicious, gourmet food in a very small prep and cooking space? Food trucks! There’s the venerable and always excellent Chow Truck. A few other favorites: Q4U Barbecue, Lewis Bros.,and Better Burger. See a fairly up-to-date list here.

Food truck stalls in the arena, please!

Share the Lower Bowl Love!

So, not surprisingly, my $5 season tickets are in the upper, upper bowl. I’m not complaining — again, $5 — but it’s impossible to not have envy for those lower bowl ticket holders. If you’ve watched a game down there, it’s just a different experience. You appreciate the athleticism and the sheer size of these men so much more. You can hear so much more of the chatter between players and coaches.

The young Jazz are of course in mid-rebuilding mode, so it comes as no surprise that on most nights, there are many empty seats, even in the lower bowl. Hundreds, certainly. A few thousand, some nights.

I first saw the following proposal from someone on Twitter, but can’t recall who. (If someone knows, I’ll happily stick their name in here to credit them) And the idea, which I’ve developed some, was the following:

At some point in the game (halfway through the second quarter? halftime?) if a lower bowl seat hasn’t been claimed, it becomes available to an upper bowl ticket holder. That person would receive a text message directing them to claim their fun upgrade.

The team could reserve a few dozen lower bowl seats just in case a season ticket holder does arrive after halftime. I suspect that’s relatively rare.

The technology to make this happen would seem quite simple. Ushers are scanning every single ticket upon entry, and so the system should know which seats are occupied.

Wouldn’t this pack-the-lower-bowl system benefit the team? The lower bowl would be “sold-out” every second half, partly with fans delighted to be there, lending the team an additional home-court advantage. It would also be a nice enticement for an upper bowl ticket buyer, knowing you had a shot every now and then to spend half the game in a $100 seat that you only paid $25 for.

The team could even make that moment when the texts are sent out a Big Deal, put it on the scoreboard during a timeout, involve the Bear, instruct everyone to pull out their phones, etc. A few hundred (or thousand) people would then cheer and move down, providing a neat communal moment.

Whaddya think? Any other fan experience improving ideas to share in the comments?

Author information

Matt Pacenza

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

A trio of observations about the Jazz come-from-behind win on the road over the New Orleans Pelicans tonight, as soon as I finish stroking my beard.

1. Steve Who?

It’s surprising, given how badly the Jazz have needed outside shooting this season, that free agent forward Steve Novak has played so little. The team’s coaching staff, instead, has chosen to give most of their bench minutes to younger players.

Going into Monday night, Novak had played 80 minutes all season, with a season high of 16 minutes and 9 points coming in a loss against Golden State way back in late November.

And, then, suddenly, the sweet-shooting Novak showed up in New Orleans, hitting 4-5 3 pointers in his 12 minutes. His two 3s late in the third quarter helped fuel the key run that brought the Jazz back into the game.

Joe Ingles’ back spasms for the second straight game — plus Trevor Booker’s gradual decline in minutes the past month — has opened up a window for Novak. Interesting to see if he stays in Snyder’s rotation.

2. Broken Wings.

It was a rough night for the Jazz’ guards. Dante Exum, Elijah Millsap and Trey Burke shot a combined 4 for 29, and it wasn’t just on offense where they struggled. Pelicans guards Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon combined for 49 points and torched nearly everyone guarding them, especially in the first half, when the Jazz perimeter defense was a smoldering dumpster fire. Gordon nearly led the Pelicans back after the Jazz seized the lead late, until Hayward silenced him late in the fourth.

Trey Burke had a particularly forgettable game, shooting 0 for 10 in 20 minutes. So much so, that he played sparingly in the second half, perhaps in part because he’s simply not big or athletic enough to guard Evans or Gordon.

I’m fully in favor of the Elijah Millsap experiment. The Jazz should be looking far and wide for wings who can play some D and/or shoot. So why not try the guy who’s older brother will be a coveted free agent this offseason?

However, so far, Millsap has flat out struggled to show he belongs on an NBA roster. He’s eager on defense, but too much so, leading to a slew of fouls. Bizarrely, against Tyreke Evans — a strong driver but a weak outside shooter — Millsap repeatedly hounded him from just past half court. And then, time after time, Evans blew by him, leading to layups and easy basket for his teammates.

On offense, Millsap turns the ball over at a very high rate (on more than 20 percent of his possessions) and shoots the ball very poorly everywhere but from 3, where’s he at a respectable .394 percent.

3. Mea Culpa

Gordon Hayward had yet another terrific game, especially late. From halfway through the third quarter, when the Jazz were down 64-50 against a team missing three of their top four scorers (not just Anthony Davis, but Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday too), Hayward scored 23 of his 32 points, plus he added 7 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block.

Last summer, when the Jazz had to decide whether to match the Hornets’ offer of $60 million for Hayward, I was one of a few to argue perhaps they shouldn’t. I recognized the team had little choice, but I felt like few observers were pointing out that Hayward’s shooting numbers had been trending steadily — and worryingly — downward for his first years.

“It’s fair to say that 2013-14 Gordon Hayward shot the ball very poorly, continuing a disturbing slide. Those trends will have to reverse — significantly — if he is to play close to a $15 million per year level.”

Well, guess what, they have. Hayward FG% is up to .462, the highest since his rookie season. His three-point percentage is at an excellent .392, up from .304 last year. The frequency with which he draws fouls is at a career high. Add it all together, and Hayward’s True Shooting Percentage is a career high .582, which among small forwards who play at least 30 minutes a game, leaves him fourth. Behind guys named Kevin Durant, DeMarre Carroll (!) and LeBron James.

I’ve never been so delighted to be wrong in my life.

Author information

Matt Pacenza

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

As everyone knows, the Jazz have had many slow starts this season, falling routinely behind by double digits in the first quarter. Tonight against the Heat, they were immediately hot, especially from long range. The Jazz raced out to a 33-16 lead at the end of the first quarter, on the strength of 4 of 5 shooting from downtown.

Copyright 2014 NBAE (Photo by Isaac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Heat outscored the Jazz in the second quarter, but only by 3, and the Jazz’s first half lead of 14 was fed largely by their otherwordly 8 of 11 first half shooting from 3. Gordon Hayward was by far their best first-half offensive weapon, scoring 18, nearly keeping pace with Dwyane Wade, who notched 23.

Clearly some of the hot start was luck — the Jazz haven’t suddenly turned into Kyle Korver from long range — but it was refreshing nonetheless.

And, importantly, that big lead allowed them to weather several difficult stretches early in the third and fourth quarters where the Heat cut the lead to single digits, behind what was an absolutely epic Wade night. He suddenly looked 25 years old again, scoring 42 points on 19 shots.

2. The youth on the bench got more minutes.
For most of this admittedly-young season, the youngest Jazzmen — Dante Exum and Rudy Gobert — have been playing roughly 15 to 18 minutes a game. Exum has remained largely in that range until tonight, when he got 24 minutes, remaining in the game for a particularly long stretch especially in the first half, when Alec Burks had a few fouls.

Exum played one of his finest games as a Jazzman, notching 10 points on 4-5 shooting. Not coincidentally, the team outscored the Jazz by 15 while he was on the floor, a welcome trend given that Jazz bench units have struggled find the basket and been routinely outscored. Exum even played a few minutes alongside point guard Trey Burke, a new wrinkle that could offer him additional opportunities to stay on the court.

Gobert actually played fewer minutes than the past two games — 19, down from 33 and 31 — but that’s because Derrick Favors returned from a two-game absence. But his minutes have slowly crept upward, and he certainly played well tonight, hitting both the shots he took and grabbing 9 rebounds in those 19 minutes.

3. Those rookie minute increases are balanced by a reduced role for the bench vets.Along with the boost in minutes for Exum and Gobert, two other Jazz bench players — Trevor Booker and Joe Ingles — played fewer minutes than their season averages. And, frankly, that’s a good thing,

For Joe Ingles, this loss of minutes continues a trend. After playing at least 20 minutes in 10 of 14 games from Nov. 9 to Dec. 5, Ingles has played markedly less in the past six, averaging 10-12 minutes, before getting 14 tonight. Those minutes, by and large, have gone to Rodney Hood, who returned from a foot injury.

Hood is hardly lighting it up — his shooting and efficiency numbers remain poor — but the 22-year-old rookie at least has the potential to improve and become the floor-stretching wing the Jazz hope he’ll become.

Ingles, as I wrote about a few weeks ago, is having a historically unusual season. And, frankly, that’s a euphemism for poor. His PER is 7 and he’s the second lowest per-minute scorer in the NBA. His alleged superior skill is passing, but while his assist numbers remain excellent, his turnover numbers are surprisingly high. In the first half of tonight’s game, for example, he whipped an awkward cross-court pass to Dante Exum that skidded low and went out of bounds. In the second half, at one point, he telegraphed an attempted pass to Kanter in the paint that was easily stolen by the Heat.

Booker’s minutes, on the other hand, have been fairly steady at about 20 minutes per game. But in tonight’s game he only played 12 — not because of any decision Snyder made because he was ejected at the end of the first half after two quick whistles.

Does Booker deserve his consistent bench role? On one hand, he remains the strong rebounder and energy guy I profiled in the pre-season, often drawing cheers for his willingness to dive to the floor or out of bounds for a loose ball.

However, his game has clear weaknesses: He hasn’t added long-range shooting — he’s taking 1 a game, the most of his career, but hitting just 29 percent. His offensive game consists of a mix of dunks and nifty left hand hooks, but little else. He hardly ever shoots free throws and turns the ball over a surprising amount. On a bench unit with several players that really have very little to do on offense — Ingles and Gobert, primarly — he’s being asked to do quite a bit, as evidenced by his career-high usage rate.

Of course, one great night in Miami probably doesn’t suddently mean hot starts, more minutes for Exum and Gobert and a diminished role for Ingles and Booker. But it sure was a fun night and hopefully a harbinger of more to come.

Author information

Matt Pacenza

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

]]>Watch a Jazz game with a 10-year-old, as I often do, and they can be uncomfortably honest.

“THAT guy is an NBA player?” my son asked a few weeks ago.

That guy, is, of course, Joe Ingles.

Joe Ingles meeting the media at Utah Jazz practice

Ingles just doesn’t look like a professional athlete. Of course he’s tall, 6’ 8’’, but he isn’t particularly muscled or quick or a great leaper. The main thing you ever seem him do well is pass, but he’s not Chris Paul penetrating and dishing by any stretch.

Look beyond what a 10-year-old sees, and Ingles’ 2014-15 season remains surprising. Ingles joined the team just two days before the season started. Many of us thus assumed that his role was to be a steadying influence on his compatriot Dante Exum — but not really to play.

I figured Australians were like missionaries: Better to pair them up so they don’t go off alone and get in trouble.

But, then, just two days after Ingles was signed, he appeared in the team’s season opener against the Rockets. He’s played every game since, and is averaging 17 minutes per game. Since fellow wing Rodney Hood has been injured, his role has grown: He’s averaging over 22 minutes the past five games.

Ingles has played the eighth most minutes on the team, behind the starting five, Trevor Booker and Dante Exum. He’s played more than Rudy Gobert. He’s clearly part of their nine-man rotation, which doesn’t even include Steve Novak or Jeremy Evans, as some fans might have expected.

But is he a valuable contributor? What does he add to the team? Should Jazz fans be pleased with the surprising addition of the Aussie wing – or dismayed that he’s playing consistent minutes?

Nickname games

Before we try to answer those questions, can we talk about nicknames? Salt City Hoops’ managing editor Andy Larsen has given Ingles one: Jingles. Hmmmmm.

Inspired by my first thought when I read of the then-unknown-to-me Australian – that due to his last name he must be from Spain or Latin America – I’ve decided we should call him……José English.

Numbers

Let’s start with the numbers. At a quick glance, frankly, they’re bad.

Why does he score so little? Is he a historically poor shooter? His percentages aren’t great: FG (.361), 3-PT (.310) but there are certainly several dozen other NBA bench players who sport similarly mediocre numbers.

No, what makes Ingles’ offensive production historical is his sheer lack of shots from the field. He’s averaging 5.4 per 36 minutes. You can find other NBA players who have shot so rarely, but nearly all of them were big men renowned for their rebounding and defense. Think Ben Wallace, or Dennis Rodman, or Reggie Evans. A few were point guards who can dish and play D but who didn’t like to shoot. Think Earl Watson and Chris Duhon.

How about assists, the category where Ingles looks the best? He is, certainly, a willing and steady passer. His best NBA moments, undoubtedly, are the in-bounds passes he threw to start the Jazz’ most memorable two plays this season: Gordon Hayward and Trey Burke’s buzzer-beating winners against the Cavaliers and Knicks.

Ingles is, in fact, a solid passer for a small forward. He’s averaging 3.7 assists per 36 minutes, which is OK but not spectacular. However, by the Assist Ratio stat developed by John Hollinger and available on ESPN.com, Ingles has the single highest mark of any small forward, ahead of notably good passers like LeBron James and Andre Iguodala.

So, to sum, Ingles barely scores or rebounds, but is a fine distributor of the ball.

What about defense? Here, of course, the numbers get trickier. Our data on what makes a positive defender are improving, but not as close to accurate as they are for offensive numbers.

From the eye test, Ingles doesn’t leap off the screen as a physically gifted defender – he’s not particularly long-armed or quick – but he does seem to consistently be in the right place. He’s not easily fooled or often caught badly out of position.

Lots of interesting nuggets in there, but let’s focus in on Ingles. Yes, he’s the least productive Jazz player on offense, but he’s also by far their best defender – in terms of limiting his opponents’ production. So much so, that he pencils out as just below average, overall. And, thus, his “net production” makes him a middle-of the pack Jazzman, despite the utter lack of scoring or rebounding.

82 games has another set of interesting stats, which allow us to see which team lineups far best. Simply put, the numbers answer the question: Does any given combo of five players outscore their opponents – or get outscored?

Again, we see a pattern: The Jazz tend to score less but allow fewer points with Ingles on the floor. Now, two of the three lineups that Ingles has played the most with also include Gobert, already considered a very good defender, so separating out the Aussie’s individual contribution is tricky, especially given how few minutes he’s played.

As with all articles you read this time of the year, small sample size warnings apply. The Jazz success of defense with Ingles on the floor may be because the Aussie is genuinely a plus wing defender – or because he’s just been lucky to guard non-shooters or catch a few guys on off nights.

However, with that said, even if his defense and passing are for real, it’s hard to imagine Ingles remaining a viable bench player unless he starts to shoot and score more. He’s no Ben Wallace or Dennis Rodman, and even if he is a savvy on-ball defender and an unusually good passer, that simply may not be enough to justify 15-20 minutes a game in today’s spread-the-floor NBA.

José English? Vamos a ver.

Author information

Matt Pacenza

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

]]>I’m hopeful about the future of Trey Burke – for a somewhat unusual reason.

Burke shot free throws extremely well last year. In his rookie season with the Jazz, the heralded Michigan alum made 102 of 113 free throws – over 90 percent.

(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

As high a mark as that is – it ranked him fourth of 203 NBA players who shot at least 100 – what really jumps out at me is Burke’s improvement over the past three years.

As a freshman at Michigan, Burke shot a downright disappointing 74 percent from the line. As a sophomore, in his Wooden Award-winning season, he improved to a respectable but not superlative 80 percent.

And then he came into the NBA as a lottery pick and not much went his way. He broke his finger during the preseason and when he rejoined the Jazz, he played fairly poorly for what turned out to be one of the league’s worst teams.

And, yet, despite that, Burke became one of the league’s best marksmen from the line.

That says something. Hopefully, not about a statistical quirk, but about his work ethic, his focus under trying circumstances and his desire to improve. When paired with Burke’s impressive preseason, Jazz fans can reasonably anticipate significant improvement in the young man’s sophomore season.

Through six preseason games, Burke has shot 53 percent from 3 and over 48 percent overall, for a superlative TS% of .589. Yes, it’s a small sample size against defenses not giving it their all, but the trends are at least pointing in the right direction.

Let’s go back to Burke’s rookie year and start with the bad news. You don’t play starter’s minutes (32 per game) on a 25-win team unless you too struggle. And Burke struggled.

His shooting numbers overall were poor, with a TS% of just .473, ranking him 60th of 70 NBA point guards, according to ESPN stats.

Burke shot OK from 3 (.330) but quite poorly on 2-pointers, especially mid-range jumpers. He also attempted very few free throws, and very few shots close to the rim, which dragged down his overall shooting numbers.

The rookie had average rebounding and assist numbers. On the positive side, he turned the ball over very rarely, a pleasant surprise for a rookie point guard who played so many minutes.

Perhaps the biggest concern about Burke’s rookie season was his defense. Our own Ben Dowsett covered this topic nicely near the end of last season, but one grisly fact remains: By one metric, Burke ranked dead last in defense among all NBA guards.

Now, as Ben indicated, lots of factors made last year so tough for Burke on D: the fact that Jazz overall struggled; the oft-cited lack of consistent coaching and schemes on that end. It may be fair, as Ben concluded, to credit Burke’s struggles in large part to inexperience. One can reasonably hope that with maturity and better coaching, he can become at least average on defense.

Let’s have a brief interruption from serious analysis for a fun fact: Trey Burke’s real name, according to his Basketball Reference page? Alfonso Clark Burke III. Whaaaaaat? That sounds like the name of an heir to a 19th Century railway fortune, not an NBA point guard.

OK, back to why we really wanted to look at Basketball Reference: To find some comps for Burke, based on his rookie numbers. Let’s look for rookies roughly his height (at 6’ 0’’, a shortish point guard), who played starter’s minutes, who had decent assist numbers but didn’t shoot that well – but who like Burke attempted a quite a few 30-pointers. What kind of careers have they had?

Interesting, eh? No busts on that list (even Duhon lasted nine years in the league), but none of them has ever made an All Star team either.

Walker has long been an obvious comparison to Burke. Both were terrific college players unafraid of the big stage who like the ball in their hands. Neither was considered an elite point guard prospect, ala Kyrie Irving or John Wall, due to limits to their athleticism. Walker certainly hasn’t taken the NBA by storm, but, at the least, he’s now a starter for a playoff team in his third year.

The Jazz would be delighted if their outcome with Burke is similar.

Let’s play one last game on Basketball Reference. Let’s go back to that superlative FT percentage we started with and look for other rookies who shot so well. I searched for rookies who shot at least 88 percent from the free throw line who also took a decent number of 3-point shots.

What does that mean? Likely not that much. But, what the heck, it’s preseason, optimism season. And I think Alfonso Clark Burke III is going to have a nice sophomore year.

Author information

Matt Pacenza

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

]]>Read everything you can about the Jazz’ new power forward Trevor Booker, and two things jump out at you: The consistency of how he’s described. And the cereal. We’ll get to the crunchy breakfast thing in a minute.

But, first, the consistency: Nearly every assessment of Booker includes language like “a dependable role player” and “a useful rotation player.”

That’s a role the Jazz likely want him to fill again this year, but, Booker’s ability to earn more than those minutes will depend upon a boost in either his defense – or his outside shooting.

A late-first round pick out of Clemson University entering his fifth NBA season, Booker has consistently earned minutes off bench, averaging 16 to 25 minutes during his four seasons with the Washington Wizards.

Sometimes, read a pre-draft summary of a player and you’ll marvel at how much they’ve changed. Not Booker. He was – and is – strong, but small. A decent shooter. An exceptionally hard worker. Check out this line from his Draft Express profile: “Despite being severely undersized for the power forward position, Booker makes up for his shortcomings in the height department by just playing much harder than everyone else.”

Andy Larsen in these pages already made clear what Booker’s strengths are – not just the oft-mentioned hustle and toughness, but his ability to set tough screens and shoot above-average from mid-range. In fact, Booker has been a fairly efficient offensive player overall, due not just to the 10-15 foot jumpers, but a decent left-handed jump hook and a tendency to draw fouls. And, as we’ve seen this pre-season already, a few thunderous drives to the hoop:

Over Roy Hibbert!

Another of Booker’s strength is his offensive rebounding. He grabs more than one of every ten shots missed at his own offensive end. That’s not quite at the elite Roy Hibbert/Tyson Chandler level, but it’s certainly above average for a power forward.

Given the frequency with which “tough” and “battler” are regularly used to describe Booker, one might think that his defense would also be a clear strength. However, that may not be the case. He’s clearly undersized – having measured just over 6′ 6″ without shoes, according to Draft Express. And while he works hard in the post, he can be dominated by bigger players.

The problem is that Booker is still a poor defender. He made some strides in his pick and roll coverages, but he still too often got lost trying to jump out too high. He’s willing to bang with bigger players inside, but he still gives up too much size. This is the biggest reason why he didn’t play much in the Pacers’ series. Washington was over seven points worse defensively with Booker in the game this season, per NBA.com’s stats page. Some of that is because Booker often replaced Nene, a superlative defender, but some of that revolves around Booker’s own shortcomings.

Before we get to what role Booker might play with the Jazz, we’d better talk cereal. Booker eats “two to three bowls of cereal a day, and up to 21 bowls of cereal a week,” according to a very funny Q and A that Booker did with the Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg in March.

Yes, the cereal thing is amusing. And, yes, it’s great that before Booker even played a game with the team he was donating his time to raise money for Crossroads Urban Center in a partnership with Smiths’ that, yes, asked fans to donate a box of cereal.

But, wait, aren’t we in the low-carb diet slim and trim era? With LeBron and dozens of other pro athletes dropping not just sugar but all grains — bread, rice and pasta — to get to their lean, mean fighting weight?

Not Trevor Booker, who not only eats cereal, but lists the sugar-laden Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs and Frosted Mini-Wheats among his favorites. Wow. Not sure whether to applaud him for bucking the pop diet trends du jour, or to worry that has Booker gets near 30, we might have ourselves another Oliver Miller situation here.

Back to weightier matters: Where will Booker fit? He seems likely to play a similar role with the Jazz that he did with the Wizards, playing consistent bench minutes. His role will be partially defined by how well Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter share the floor together – much better than last year, we all hope – and whether Rudy Gobert’s sterling summer and pre-season stick.

Given those hard screens, one can imagine Booker being half of a second-unit, pick-and-pop game, perhaps with the rookie wings Dante Exum and Rodney Hood.

Might we expect more? Booker is unlikely to improve dramatically, given that he’ll turn 27 less than a month into the season. (He played four years at Clemson, so is a relatively old fifth-year player.)

However, room for improvement seems most likely to come from either his range or his defense. An excellent mid-range shooter, he’s working on extending that during the preseason, having hoisted five 3-pointers in the Jazz’ first three games (and made two.) In his entire Wizards career, he’d only attempted 10 3s.

If Booker can be a competent long-range shooter, he will almost certainly demand more minutes, especially given that outside of Steve Novak, the Jazz roster lacks big men with range, unless Enes Kanter too gains a 3-point jumper.

His main competition at the backup big position – again, assuming Kanter remains a starter – would appear to be Steve Novak and Jeremy Evans, who of course bring radically different skill sets to those roles than Booker.

Let’s guess, for the heck of it, how the Jazz might apportion the frontcourt’s 96 minutes:

Favors

34 minutes

Kanter

28 minutes

Gobert

18 minutes

Booker/Novak

16 minutes

Not a ton of time available, is there?

Nonetheless, as he always has, Trevor Booker appears poised to be a solid rotation cog for the 2014-15 Jazz.

Author information

Matt Pacenza

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

]]>The Utah Jazz face a critical decision as soon as next week: Whether to match a huge contract offer to their young swingman Gordon Hayward.

Virtually every prominent voice and writer that cover the Jazz agree on two things: Not only will the Jazz match any offer, but they should. Even if that offer is the four-year, $60 million max deal.

Here’s the problem: It’s near impossible to find evidence to justify that stance in Hayward’s performance. Last year, he was roughly an average NBA starter, albeit a versatile one. While his game has improved — particularly his playmaking — key parts of his game have stagnated or even worsened since his rookie year.

Hayward’s defenders point to his age — he’ll be just 28 at the end of this four-year deal — and the widely-held opinion that the Jazz were not well-coached during his tenure. Take a new coach, add a new system and — presto! — Hayward’s performance will improve significantly so that he justifies the massive salary.

That’s the optimistic scenario. However, perhaps Hayward’s long-distance shooting numbers remain poor — or even worsen, as they have during each of his first four years — leaving the Jazz with a well-paid wing who doesn’t stretch the floor, an outright liability in today’s NBA.

Let’s turn to looking more closely at Hayward’s performance:

Is his versatility really all that special?

Much is made of Hayward’s 16-5-5 numbers (points, rebounds and assists) as evidence that he’s a uniquely versatile wing. However, that analysis ignores Hayward’s heavy minutes (36.4, 10th in the NBA last year). Let’s look more closely:

Assists: To judge how unique Hayward’s playmaking is, let’s use the “assist ratio” stat, which looks at “the percentage of a player’s possessions that ends in an assist,” rather than per game numbers which are distorted by minutes played.

Assists are Hayward’s best numbers — he showed significant improvement last year as he became the focal point of the Jazz’ offense — but other less-heralded wings do as well or even better. Among shooting guards, Hayward ranked 10th of 65, a very good mark, but behind Lou Williams, Lance Stephenson and Jason Terry, among others. If you count Hayward as a small forward, his 22.1 ratio would rank 6th of 66. He’s a great passer for a small forward — but, to be petty for a second, not quite as good as Gerald Wallace, Nik Batum, John Salmons and Tyreke Evans — and no one’s talking about paying them max money.

Rebounds: Similar to assists, we find a better measure of how well Hayward rebounds in “Rebound Rate,” the percentage of missed shots that a player rebounds. His rebound rate of 8.0 is very good for a SG — he ranks 8th of 65 — an excellent figure that trails a handful of versatile big guards, including Stephenson, Tony Allen, Iman Shumpert, Dwayne Wade and Vince Carter. Among SFs, Hayward’s rebound rate is a closer to average, as he would rank 43rd of 66.

In the modern NBA, the difference between SG and SF isn’t all that important. Glancing at the most frequently used Jazz lineups from 2013-14, Hayward most frequently played with Richard Jefferson, considered a small forward, so most label him a shooting guard. However, with the Jazz adding guard Dante Exum to Trey Burke and Alec Burks, it seems most likely that if Hayward is re-signed, he will spend the a significant majority of at least next season as the SF position, where his excellent assist numbers are even more outstanding, but his rebounds less so.

In short, while Hayward is undoubtedly a versatile player, it’s important to put those numbers in context.

We can sum up all that data in a much simpler chart focusing on TS% — true shooting percentage, a shooting metric that accounts for 3-pointers and free throws.

Season

TS%

2010-11

.578

2011-12

.568

2012-13

.564

2013-14

.520

Those are alarming trends. In 2010-11, Hayward shot like Chris Paul did last year. In 2013-14, he shot like Jeff Green. Yes, young players go through growing pains. And, yes, Hayward may have not been helped by Coach Tyrone Corbin’s system. But, as I pointed out back in January, it’s extremely difficult to find NBA players who ended up with good careers who not only didn’t improve in their early years, but got worse.

I’ve continued to try and find “comps” for Hayward, trying to see if perhaps other players have struggled when young, but once they settled into a role and system, flourished. One query I did on the fabulous Basketball Reference site looked for big guards who were great passers but poor long-distance shooters. It returned names like Jamal Crawford, Alvin Williams and Larry Hughes — each of whom has had some big moments, but they’ve never remotely played near the $15 million a year level.

Another search, which includes slightly better shooters, returned a few other names: Rodney Stuckey, Jalen Rose and Grevis Vasquez. Valuable players, no doubt, but again none which ever justified near-max salaries.

It’s fair to say that 2013-14 Gordon Hayward shot the ball very poorly, continuing a disturbing slide. Those trends will have to reverse — significantly — if he is to play close to a $15 million per year level.

A mixed record on defense.

When you look for players like Hayward, a few names pop up who have had pretty darn good NBA careers, such as Andre Iguodala, a similarly versatile guard/forward who isn’t a great outside shooter. However, a big chunk of Iggy’s value comes from his defense. He’s widely considered one of the top shutdown wing defenders in the entire NBA, along with Tony Allen and Paul George and LeBron James.

How about Hayward? Of course, unlike offense, it’s much harder to quantify defense. There are crude stats — like DRtg and Opponent Production and Defensive Win Shares — which tend to show Hayward as a good but not great defender. The “eyeball test” would suggest that Hayward’s length and effort are assets, as he often forces the man he’s guarding to give up the ball, but he can struggle to stay in front of quick wings and to quickly rotate from the lane to the 3-point-line.

It seems relevant that Hayward played the most minutes on the NBA’s worst defensive team last year, but of course it’s very hard to tease out the role that his teammates and system played in that dismal mark.

Max Money?

If we’d sum up what we know about Gordon Hayward after his four season, it would go something like this: An excellent passer and a good rebounder and defender, but a poor shooter. Add it all up, and you get somewhere near an average NBA starter.

The Jazz have to think long and hard about matching any offer that compensates Hayward well above the pay that an average NBA starter deserves. They should consider, rather, whether they might be better off to continue to stockpile assets — young talent on reasonable deals, veterans signed to short contracts and draft picks.

As this current roster under new coach Quin Snyder matures, it will become clearer which players should form the core over the next half-decade, and which can be traded for talent to fill holes. Signing a decent player to great player money could easily end up being a move that hinders, not helps, the rebuilding Jazz.

Author information

Matt Pacenza

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

In Salt Lake City, all eyes are on Thursday’s draft – indeed, some have been there for months. Sure, we’re all plotting Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker trades and pretending to be experts on Joel Embiid’s navicular bone, but it’s easy to forget there will soon be another key step in offseason roster-boosting, with free agency beginning just five days later on Tuesday, July 1st. The Jazz have money to spend, and there are some pieces out there who can likely be had for reasonable money.

Let’s quickly review the facts: the Jazz have seven players signed for next season (Burke, Burks, Evans, Favors, Gobert, Kanter, Lucas). The team has options on three other players (Clark, Garrett, Thomas) and most observers assume they will re-sign restricted free agent Gordon Hayward. They also have the fifth and 23rd picks in the first round, plus the 35th pick in the second. Add all that up, and one can imagine 10-12 roster spots filled prior to free agency, leaving at least a couple spots on a 15-man roster.

They don’t have to be end-of-the-bench spots, either – Utah has plenty of money to spend. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, Gordon Hayward gets a deal roughly similar to Derrick Favors’ (4 years, $48-50 million depending on incentives). The team will pay their two first-round picks roughly $4 million total if they keep both, and depending on which team options are exercised, payroll for those 10-12 players comes in at roughly $45 million. That leaves Utah plenty of room to sign a few players, with next year’s salary cap projected at $63.2 million.

So what does the team need? Without knowing Hayward’s fate and who the Jazz draft or possibly trade for, it’s an impossible question to answer definitively. But a few things are obvious: the 2013-14 Utah Jazz were a horrid defensive club, dead last in the NBA in defensive efficiency. They weren’t a great offensive team either – 25th of 30 NBA teams – but it’s fair to say that whoever the Jazz draft, they will need to be solid on defense or at least show defensive upside.

Another clear weakness is three-point shooting, where they ranked in the league’s bottom five for both total makes and percentage last year. And don’t forget that two of their better outside shooters, Richard Jefferson and Marvin Williams, are long shots to be on the roster this coming year. If both depart, the Jazz have an insanely young roster next year, so adding a few veteran guys will also be important, but another younger piece or two to develop along with the current core won’t be out of the question either.

In compiling the following list, I tried to be realistic. Sure, Chris Bosh and Eric Bledsoe would be great, but both are unlikely to make their way to Salt Lake City. So without further ado, here are six players I’d love to see the Jazz take a good look at. They’re in a rough order from most coveted to least, though circumstance could of course alter these designations.

What’s not to love? He’s super young, a great defender, and an above-average three-point shooter.

Unfortunately, however, Bradley’s value and potential are hardly a secret. The Celtics will likely match most offers that aren’t outrageous, particularly if they do manage to land Kevin Love and are in win-now mode. In addition, other teams around the league, including potentially more attractive destinations than the rebuilding Jazz, may make strong pushes to sign Bradley.

But let’s say he doesn’t sign early and other teams use up their cap space. If the Jazz still need a defensive wing stopper, why not make young Bradley an offer he can’t refuse, but one the Celtics might have to?

Perhaps it’s not quite fair to say that Tucker – who started 81 games for the 48-win Suns last year – came out of nowhere, but before his last two seasons in Phoenix, he had played in Israel, the Ukraine, Greece, Italy and Germany.

But like so many who played under Coach Jeff Hornacek last year, Tucker was a surprise. He shot 39 percent from 3, had decent rebounding and assist numbers, and established himself as one of the top wing defenders in the league. The Suns sound like they very much want to keep Tucker, and he shows up on many lists of reasonably-priced 3-and-D guys that are so widely coveted right now, so if the Suns don’t, others will come calling. Why not the Jazz?

If you liked the role that Marvin Williams played at times for the Jazz last year, Patterson could be a nice replacement, plus he’s younger and still has room for improvement. He’s a very good pick-and-pop shooter, with excellent mid-range numbers. He’s comfortable behind the three-point line as well (he attempts about two a game and made 36 percent last year), and though he rarely gets fouled or posts up, these wouldn’t be large concerns given the role he’d play for Utah and a league trending toward shooting first and foremost.

Patterson seems to be at least an average NBA defender, hampered by so-so athleticism but aided by intelligence and good positioning. Depending on the draft, Patterson does seem to fill a need for the Jazz: a shooting big-man. It’s a niche several teams are looking to fill, but a decent offer might just be enough.

Bazemore played sparingly his first season-and-a-half in Golden State before being traded to the Lakers and performing well in a couple months before a season-ending foot injury. He developed a reputation as an athletic slasher and open-court player with a decent three-point stroke (37 percent with the Lakers), and played solid defense. Perhaps due to relative inexperience, he also turned the ball over a lot.

It’s hard to place where Bazemore fits on the spectrum between diamond-in-the-rough and careless-athlete-who-can’t-settle-down, but his potential is intriguing. The Jazz would, however, have to make an offer big enough to pry him away from the Lakers, who have gobs of cap space of their own.

A second-round pick out of Kentucky in 2009, Meeks had bounced around the league before settling with the Lakers the last two years and surprising the team with his consistent outside shooting and effort on defense. A career 38 percent three-point shooter and an occasional slasher, Meeks is fairly one-dimensional offensively, with very low rebound and assist numbers. But he earned the praise of Lakers’ fans and coaches for his effort and consistency, and his age and talents certainly fit the Jazz’ needs well.

How much the Lakers will look to spend this offseason is uncertain. They’re already paying next year’s starting backcourt of Nash and Kobe nearly $33 million (!), and may not be able to spend too much more on those positions or be willing to commit too many years. Would the Jazz make a big enough offer for Meeks, a steady outside shooter to complement Alec Burks?

When he first joined the league, the Mexican big man was lauded for his defense and basketball IQ. The bloom has come off that rose a bit after several injury-plagued seasons, but Ayon still has value as a defense and rebounding big man off the bench. It’s not exactly clear how much the Jazz need frontcourt help, with Favors, Kanter, Gobert and Evans all signed for next year. But if they’re interested in adding one more defensive-minded big, they could do much worse than Ayon, who would probably come at a decent price.

OK, we can all go back to draft noodling for a few days. But on Thursday, if you find yourself despairing that the Jazz haven’t added the skills you covet, remember free agency. It’s right around the corner!

Author information

Matt Pacenza

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.

]]>Let’s first state the obvious: there is no magic secret sauce recipe that will automatically produce the perfect coach for the Jazz. Successful NBA coaches have come from wide and far. Some are coaching lifers, who barely if ever played the game, like the Van Gundys or Eric Spoelstra. Others were high-level NBA players, who smoothly joined the coaching ranks, like Doc Rivers or Phil Jackson. Brad Stevens, a successful NCAA coach, impressed in his first NBA season.

However, when I think of today’s Jazz team, and their recent struggles, I’m fixated on a certain type: the hard-working longtime assistant, the film geek, the guy who lives and breathes schemes and systems. Especially one who focuses on defense, which the Jazz have struggled to play well for years. A quick table tells the sad tale:

Year

Defensive Efficiency Rank

2013-14

30

2012-13

21

2011-12

20

2010-11

24

Hope that this sad trend can change comes from the experience of the Charlotte Bobcats, who hired — yes, you guessed it — a little-known coaching assistant and defensive expert named Steve Clifford. Despite adding Al Jefferson, widely thought of as a defensive liability, the ‘Cats improved from the 30th in defense in 2012-13 to 6th this past year. 6th!

Let’s hire him, right? Well, here’s the drawback. He’s 65. So is Gregg Popovich (the oldest NBA coach since Rick Adelman retired) but it’s a bit hard to imagine the Jazz offering their coach-for-the-future job to someone of that age.

David Fizdale, Miami Heat Assistant and Director of Player Development

A bit of an age leap here, as Fizdale is 39! He’s been with the Heat for five years, after five years as an assistant with Golden State and Atlanta. Like his boss, Erik Spoelstra, Fizdale first started in the Heat’s video room about 15 years ago.

With the Heat, he works on scouting, player development and game preparation. Arnovitz wrote he is “a stabilizing force, teacher and communicator” on the Heat and was “instrumental in the evolution of LeBron James’ post game.” Spoelstra called him his “best friend” and “an outstanding basketball coach, with an immense background.”

It’s not clear if Fizdale is considered a defensive specialist. Most articles praise his ability working one-on-one with players, in developing their abilities, in his solid relationships with them. He did an interview with NBA.com a few years ago in which he did talk at length about the Heat’s defense, in which he comes across as thoughtful.

Quin Snyder, Atlantic Hawks assistant

Snyder’s name surfaced in a Marc Stein tweet several days ago, and his name is frequently appearing on the short list of assistants soon to land a head coaching gig.

Snyder, 47, has coached for the Hawks, CSKA Moscow and the Lakers, after being a head coach of the D-League’s Austin Toros for three years. Earlier gigs were at the collegiate ranks (head coach at U. of Missouri and as a Duke assistant.) In sum, 20 years of coaching experience, all following playing at Duke in the late 80s before earning both (!) a law degree and an MBA.

For most of those teams, he was the defensive assistant, including this past year’s Grizzlies team (which finished 7th in defensive efficiency.) During his playing career as a 6-5 shooting guard, he was known for his defensive tenacity.

Intriguing, no? Turner certainly must be incredibly eager to be a head coach. He has been repeatedly interviewed, at least a half dozen times, for open NBA head coach gigs in recent years. He got none of those jobs, of course, suggesting he may not interview so well. His abilities, however, seem to be unquestioned. As this ESPN column makes clear, he has “often made great strides in turning [Coach Rick] Adelman’s teams into very good defensive units.” The article notes his success at improving other team’s defenses, from Sacramento to Phoenix, that were considered poor.

Stephen Silas, Charlotte Bobcats assistant

So, Steve Clifford isn’t available, but how about his assistant who develops the team’s defense? Silas, 36, began his NBA coaching career in the early 2000s as an assistant for his father, Paul, a longtime NBA head coach. He then moved to the Cavaliers, Wizards and Warriors, before returning to the Bobcats.

Silas played college basketball at Brown, prior to becoming a coach. It’s difficult to find out too much about Silas philosophy or expertise, other than that he’s certainly a seasoned assistant. One worried a bit about his association with the Bobcats, hardly a model franchise, and even his father, who struggled in several gigs.

***

A few other names come up: Oklahoma City Thunder assistant Robert Pack and Chicago Bulls assistants Ed Pinckney and Adrian Griffin, all former players. Hopefully, among a group of clearly qualified assistants chafing at the bit to take on an NBA head coaching gig, Jazz owner Greg Miller and GM Dennis Lindsey can find and hire the next great coach.

I’ll admit my own, admittedly off-the-cuff reactions to this research: Fizdale and Turner impress me the most. Everyone they work with seems very quick to heap praise on them. Defense and player development, respectively, are mentioned as their strengths. The Jazz badly need both.

Author information

Matt Pacenza

When he isn't writing about the Jazz, Matt Pacenza is an environmental activist, Arsenal fan and world-class blowhard about many matters. A native of upstate New York, with a background in journalism and nonprofits, Matt lives near Liberty Park with his wife and two sons.